Nayakan (1987)
Plot
Nayakan ( transl. The Central Figure) is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language epic crime drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam. Produced by Muktha Srinivasan, the film stars Kamal Haasan and Saranya (in her feature debut) in the lead, with Janagaraj, Karthika, Vijayan, M. V. Vasudeva Rao, Delhi Ganesh, Nizhalgal Ravi, Nassar and Tara in supporting roles. It revolves around the evolution of Velu Naicker (Haasan) from an ordinary slum dweller to a highly respected crime lord in the Bombay underworld. Nayakan is loosely based on the life of the Bombay underworld don Varadarajan Mudaliar and the American film The Godfather (1972). Ratnam was initially approached to remake the Hindi film Pagla Kahin Ka (1970) for Srinivasan and Haasan, but refused. He instead suggested two other stories, one of which impressed Haasan and became Nayakan. Cinematography was handled by P. C. Sreeram, and editing by B. Lenin and V. T. Vijayan. Filming began in late 1986, taking place primarily in Madras and to a lesser extent, Bombay. Nayakan was released on 21 October 1987, Diwali day. The film became a critical and commercial success, running for over 175 days in theatres. It won the National Film Awards
Nayakan details
| Industry | Tamil |
|---|---|
| Year | 1987 |
| Genres | Drama, Crime, History |
| Runtime | 2h 35m |
| Rating | Not rated |
| Director | Mani Ratnam |
| Status | Released |
| Language | ta |
| Record verified | 2026-09-21 |
| Source | Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · images: TMDB |
Where to watch Nayakan
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Nayakan cast & crew
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Nayakan — questions
What is Nayakan about?
Nayakan ( transl. The Central Figure) is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language epic crime drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam. Produced by Muktha Srinivasan, the film stars Kamal Haasan and Saranya (in her feature debut) in the lead, with Janagaraj, Karthika, Vijayan, M. V. Vasudeva Rao, Delhi Ganesh, Nizhalgal Ravi, Nassar and Tara in supporting roles. It revolves around the evolution of Velu Naicker (Haasan) from an ordinary slum dweller to a highly respected crime lord in the Bombay underworld. Nayakan is loosely based on the life of the Bombay underworld don Varadarajan Mudaliar and the American film The Godfather (1972). Ratnam was initially approached to remake the Hindi film Pagla Kahin Ka (1970) for Srinivasan and Haasan, but refused. He instead suggested two other stories, one of which impressed Haasan and became Nayakan. Cinematography was handled by P. C. Sreeram, and editing by B. Lenin and V. T. Vijayan. Filming began in late 1986, taking place primarily in Madras and to a lesser extent, Bombay. Nayakan was released on 21 October 1987, Diwali day. The film became a critical and commercial success, running for over 175 days in theatres. It won the National Film Awards
Who is in the cast of Nayakan?
Nayakan stars Kamal Haasan, Saranya and is directed by Mani Ratnam. The full credited cast is listed above.
Where can I watch Nayakan online?
We currently have no streaming platform listed for Nayakan. It may be between rights deals, or only available on a service we do not track yet. This page was last checked on 2026-09-21.
How long is Nayakan?
Nayakan runs 2h 35m (155 minutes).
Who directed Nayakan?
Nayakan was directed by Mani Ratnam.
Can I download Nayakan?
Not from this site — we host no film files. Where a licensed platform carries the title, that platform’s own app is the place to download it for offline viewing. The download guide explains what each quality and format means, and the buttons there point to an external third-party app we do not own or control.
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